The brand says that it aims to position itself as a beacon of hope, inspiring action amongst its consumers.

"What drives pride within us as a proudly South African beer, is that Castle Lager reflects the characteristics and patriotism of South Africans. [These are characteristics] such as resilience in the face of challenges, a strong sense of community and what we believe is better defined as 'courageous optimism'," says Castle Lager brand director, Wendy Bedforth.

"Consequently, the new brand direction will focus on the power of community. Castle Lager [aims to be] the brand that brings hope and would like to play a role in paying tribute to the amazing communities within South Africa. This is while reshaping and inspiring our people to take action for the South Africa we all believe is possible," says Bedforth.

The brand has played its part by supporting homegrown talent by backing the:
  • Springboks
  • Proteas, and
  • Bafana Bafana.
The precursor to this shift already started in 2020 with the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, when the brand contributed R7-million towards the Solidarity Fund.

"The past two years have been marred by a pandemic, and that has made the power of community even more important in what it means to be South African," adds Bedforth.

"We see these examples with the recent KwaZulu-Natal floods, where many businesses and brands, including Castle, came to the support party to help. On our part, we did this through partnering with Gift of the Givers, donating R500 000 to this cause and playing a role in inspiring South Africans to take action," says Bedforth.

The brand says that it is invested in the spirit of community and friendship and it was a natural progression for Castle Lager to become the brand that brings hope. 

"We want to be the brand that espouses our unique South African beliefs, such as ubuntu, and one that encourages our communities to support local businesses from within, in order to uplift and grow one another," Bedforth adds.

According to the brand, the goal of beautifying and paying tribute to Kasi communities will be achieved through:
  • creating personalised murals
  • point of sale elements, and
  • a television commercial (TVC).
Castle Lager will also be partnering with artists and content creators within local communities, who are able to tell the story and beauty of the South African people. 

The brand says that with regards to the brand TVC, two aspects made it even more impactful and in tune with Castle Lager's new brand direction. Not only did the cast for the commercial come from communities across South Africa, but they actually helped pen the script, adding a layer of authenticity and community involvement to its production.

"Roughly 12 million South Africans are currently living in Kasi, with many having been born and raised in Kasi. We want to celebrate the beauty, resilience and courageous optimism of these communities and people because they are what makes our nation so great. Our expression, 'It's within' is a colloquial term used to describe this spirit of the Kasi, the characteristics that make us South African," says Bedforth.

"We are simply saying that from Kasi to Kasi, coast to coast, one spirit makes us great. That same South African Spirit is found with Castle Lager. A 100% South African lager," concludes Bedforth. 

For more information, visit www.castlelager.co.za. You can also follow Castle Lager on Facebook, Twitter or on Instagram.